Guest post: Lauren Flynn, New Mexico State University From the Latin verb demergere, meaning ‘to sink’, demersal describes fish that live on or just above the ocean or lake floor. It can also refer to a commercial fishery for groundfish and shellfish, which typically uses gear that is weighted so it sinks to the bottom. … [Read more…]
Diadromous fish migrate between fresh and salt water. This term, coined by George S. Myers in 1949, refers to both anadromous and catadromous fishes. Diadromous life history strategies have evolved in numerous fish taxa. The complex life cycles do require complex osmoregulatory adaptation but the advantages of the given environments for specific life stages of … [Read more…]
The dorsal fin is located on the top of a fish (as well as some marine mammals). Predominately, the fin is used to stabilize fish in the water and help direct the fish through turns and stops. Some fish, like Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis), have two dorsal fins and others have very highly derived dorsal … [Read more…]